FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. – Following the news that Omar Gonzalez was open to considering playing for Mexico, U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was again asked about his roster omissions following Thursday evening's practice session.

"We follow all (players), whether it's George John or other cases in the MLS," said Klinsmann. "Absolutely we have them on our radar screen. On the other side, we kind of develop our way of ranking the positions and we rank it in terms of we have our established one, and we have the challenger and then we have the third and the fourth and the fifth one. Is Omar a part of that? Yes. But I can only call in 18-22 players for a game and I go with the ones that have spot No. 1 and 2 right now."

Asked if having dual-citizenship players out there who aren't officially cap-tied to the United States plays a role in his decision-making, Klinsmann answered by saying that it doesn't.

"We have to make sure that the quality that we want to keep is the best," said Klinsmann. If they have the quality, we call them in if the moment is there. It depends also on other situations like if you're missing somebody, there's an injury there, you move up in that ranking. It could go fast and it could take forever, but it doesn't really necessarily play a role for us."

When asked, Klinsmann also said that he has not spoken with either Gonzalez or John. He also further elaborated on if he feels pressure to summon players who are eligible for the United States and another country.

"This will always kind of be a question that we have to face," said Klinsmann. "When maybe during additional stuff in order to have them become our player, but it also comes along with the quality that we kind of see in them. It's really kind of a juggle and it's case by case that we have to talk through that.

"I mean we have a list of players – if you look down to the under-23, under-20 ranks, if you look around what we have in Europe, it is mind blowing. – and you get your hands around all these kids, that's what we're trying to do step by step to do. Claudio (Reyna) plays a driving force in this identification process. Yes, we want to make sure that we don't have a kid slipping through, like Giuseppe Rossi that decides to play somewhere else, we want to have that next player play for us.

"On the other hand, on the senior level I have to make sure that we maintain the highest quality and getalso our games together, so it is a case by case scenario that we discuss in a group and then when we feel like maybe we have to do an extra jump, we will do that."

When Klinnsmann wanted “autonomy”, this is what he was talking about. He doesn’t have to think about the long term viability of the program, he’s looking at who are the #1 and #2 players on the squad RIGHT NOW. He has no obligation to develop someone who will be a player for some other coach 5 years from now. It’s the kind of thing that is ignored when Sunil was criticized for not hiring him last year or a few years back.

Klinsmann’s justification is totally inconsistent with the players he called up. He called up four holding midfielders, and he had Donovan as a forward even though he is a midfielder. Then he loses Donovan to injury, and he calls up another out and out striker instead of a sort of hybrid player. He has no central attacking midfielders except for Dempsey who doesn’t really play that position, so who is the number two at that position? Brek Shea is a winger, but who is Brek Shea’s sub? Klinsmann’s answer doesn’t explain anything. He didn’t even mention Feilhaber and Adu. The US doesn’t have the luxury of leaving Adu and Feilhaber off the roster. Does Klinsmann think the US has Ganso?

man I hate omar gonzalez but I don’t think there’s much argument that he should definitely be ahead of that worthless pile of manure Tim Ream on the USMNT depth chart. Threatening to be a Judas and switch to Mexico is the wrong way of proving your point though.

If you constantly make mistakes that lead to goals for an MLS team fighting for it’s life, you get a position ranking higher than someone anchoring the defense for the best team in MLS… Oh you guys haven’t heard of the Klinsi system. Yeah it’s superior to the Bradley system b/c its German.

Someone needs to take Klinsmann aside and tell him about cases like Neven Subotic.

One of the biggest issue with the USMNT is roster depth, we see that every time a player goes down with injury, whether it’s Davies, Onyewu, Holden… hell look what happened in the Gold Cup final when we lost Cherundolo.

We CAN NOT afford to lose dual citizens, even if they are not the #1 or 2 option at their position. Whether it’s Gonzalez or John or Diskerud or Corona or Subotic or Rossi, We need as many of those guys as possible.

This isn’t Germany Klinsy, where they can lose Jones, Chandler, Johnson and Wiliams and it doesn’t matter one bit. He needs to figure that out ASAP, or he needs to be replaced by someone who does.

I agree with this. We do not have the luxury of not cap tying guys who can help our team. If soccer becomes a bigger deal in the US and we start getting more top level athletes then maybe it wouldn’t be a big deal, but right now…it is.

If the key to our future national team success is Omar Gonzalez, we’re in big trouble anyway. If he was considered that strong of a prospect, I’d think Mexico would have alrady come calling.

Being one of the best CB’s in a league short on attacking talent is not much to hang your hat on. Beyond that, he has technical shortcomings in areas that Klinsi seems to value. We have seen Gooch on more than one occasion look stiff and robotic at the international level, and I see Omar as the same type of player with even less talent. I am not against bringing him in at some point for a look, but I just don’t see it as the crime against humanity that some seem to. If he really is interested in potentially playing for Mexico, that’s ok too.

So it’s more important to call in players just for the sake of it, rather than having a consistent line-up that allows players to form a cohesive unit of the course of years? Seriously?

I’m sorry people, but this overreaction to Gonzalez’s declaration is just mind-boggling. It would be one thing if he’s the next coming, but that is certainly not the case. And you are all assuming that Mexico even has a need for someone like him, which is highly likely that they don’t, especially given that they also like to play from the back, which unfortunately requires ball skills that the kid just doesn’t have. No doubt he’s good in the air, has some physical tools, and is good in MLS. But being good in MLS does not mean good internationally. Hell, good in (insert domestic league here) doesn’t automatically transfer to being good internationally. And for the last time, you can’t cap tie a player in a friendly. Try to remember this last point the next time you want to have the MLS flavor of the month, or the next overhyped youth player called in.

As much as I want to be frustrated with Klinsy I have to give him kudos for even answering the question at such length and letting us into his selection process. That’s a lot more than we are use to getting (and I’m a Bob Bradley backer).

To all you idiots out there this is called a weeding out process, plain and simple. this is to see who fits and who doesn’t fit, maybe in Klinsy mind Gonzalez,John,Diskerud and others either don’t fit his plan or he wants to give Beasley 1 more shot Ream(who hasn’t played the last 2 games )1 more shot and a few others 1 more shot before he moves on. Like i said it’s a process! do any of these games really matter ? NO ! Do they matter interms of establishing his formation ? YES! so hang in there the culture needs to be changed a bit before you start to see a regualr squad out there. Qualifying games will see a strong side that is balnced and up to par for a 4-3-3 system. You must crawl before you walk.

Klinsmann could have saved some oxygen and ink and keystrokes if he has simply said “just chill and have another white russian”.

I would hate to see what kind of bellyaching this guy would be doing is he were a midfielder. If OG thinks he can find a better future for himself elsewhere he’s a free person, but JK has a lot more to think about than the ego and patience of one young player.

I imagine a lot of folks are thinking about Subotic right now, but I think this is a different plaer (much less high profile player) a different conflict (my understanding is that Rongen had a long standing situation finally come to a head with Subotic) and a different scenario (OG is clearly being an opportunist here–it’s about minutes, not country). If we lose this guy it’s as much on Gonzalez as it is on any US coach.

I don’t know what everyone is so uptight about and frankly why he’s trying to force this issue. If he had two more years of his current MLS form under his belt with no callups I could understand. If he were playing abroad in England France Scotland or Portugal I could understand. But the truth is for however successful he is right now he’s still a 22 year old centerback that is like 4 or 5 on a depth chart behind senior players like Bocanegra Onyewu Goodson, probably Whitbread (even though I’ve yet to see him play so I’m going on other people’s say so) and Orozco in JK’s estimation.

You can gripe about Ream getting a callup all you want and probably have a point if you’re going on form rather than potential, but we’ve got lots of big men ready to fill Onyewu’s shoes, but not a lot of calm on the ball pass out of pressure players ready to replace Bocanegra.

I would have been more surprised if the January camp had come and gone without his being seen. Now I’ll be more surprised if he does a get a callup.

Trying to cap-tie every mediocre player is ridiculous. US fans need to get over Subotic and Rossi. John and Gonzalez don’t come close to matching that skill level. If we spend all our time trying to make sure no one born in American can ever play for another country, we won’t develop the best players available. This has become a weird obsession among US soccer fans.

Just imagine Germany trying to cap-tie every player who they might one day lose to the US.

I think it’s a cheap shot that he said “a kid slipping through like Guisseppi Rossi”. That is utter BS. Arena and Bradley were always in conversations with Rossi. They did everything they could to get him to commit to the US short of not respecting his thanks but no thanks answer. Rossi was always going to play for Italy and was pretty clear on the matter. It was his father dream.

I fail to see why everyone is so worked up over this. First of all, as has been stated above a couple of times, there are no matches that would actually cap-tie someone to us until next year. No rush on these things.

Second, and more importantly, I’m willing to bet that John and Gonzalez haven’t been called in because they aren’t the best fit for the system Klinsmann is trying to put in place for the US. John and Gonzalez are definitely better than Ream and Orozco in the air and probably stronger as well, but the two of them don’t quite match up to Orozco and especially Ream in terms of possession and distribution. To run the possession style play that Klinsmann wants, you have to have backs who can play with composure on the ball. As a result, Klinsmann seems to be valuing players with this technical ability rather than pure strength and size.

Now, if you think that Klinsmann overall plan for this style of play is incorrect then you can make the argument from that point of view. But for Klinsmann’s system of play, I think it’s hard to argue with his selection logic of Ream over Gonzalez for instance. I think John and Gonzalez will get their shot at some point soon, and I hope they do, but I don’t mind Klinsmann’s selection right now.

It’s not about Omar. It’s about the Feilhaber and Adu snubs. I want Dempsey and Bradley to have some quality midfielders to combine with, and I want the young strikers to get some adequate service. I also think that Cameron, Gonzalez, and John deserve some looks. I have no loyalty to Omar, but I do want Klinsmann to have to rework his roster. I was tired of seeing Bob Bradley constantly starting two holding mids and then subbing one out for Feilhaber. I feel very strongly that Dempsey and our young strikers greatly benefit from having Feilhaber and Adu playing with them.

My problem with Jurgi on this one is why did he have to specifically call out John, Gonzo, and Bennie and say that they are inferior to the players currently in camp? Certainly there was a more diplomatic way of handling it; if he felt the need to mention their names at all it should have been a vague, “we’re interested and monitoring their progress” type of statement. The guy loves to talk and loves the limelight, which is usually good because he is basically the figurehead of the program but he will inevitably put his foot in his mouth on occasions, as well.

As far as the CB situation goes, Ream has as bright a future as Gonzalez or John, but why is he still bothering with orozco? Is it just me or did he look overmatched in his recent call ups? I think pairing Ream down the road with more physical CB is a good way to compliment his skill set.

Cap-tie a decent prospect with dual citizenship who you have no intention of using regularly in the near future would scare off anyone else from taking a call-up. That would be a disasterous precedent. Its much better to be selective and wait until that player is clearly in your plans. Klinsi can’t tie Gonzales or John until next summer, plenty of time for them to develop further.

“Yeah it’s superior to the Bradley system b/c its German.” This is kind of a dumb statement since Bradley capped Ream 6 times and Klinsmann hasn’t played Ream once. It is kind of ridiculous the clamor to replace a guy Klinsmann hasn’t even played yet.

Mr. President, why do you HATE Gonzalez? Lack of speed? Are you sure this isn’t really Perry or some faceless tea party rep.? I do think Ream should be 4th or 5th in the ranking and certainly lower than Gonzalez. I see the Galaxy defender a tad frustrated and engaging in a little bit of brinkmanship, that’s all. He’s shown his value and upside.

who said anything about caps??? Not me, I alluded to the fact that Gonzalez hasn’t even been in the 23 available to be picked, whereas Tim Ream has, and assumingly under Klinsmanns system Ream is somehow ranked ahead of Gonzalez. Read before you get up in arms about a light hearted comment making fun of the Eurosnobs who were clamoring for the superior European methods.

This is what is curious to me…..Ream 3 games with Klinsy…still awaiting to play. Does that make him #4?
Gooch, first call up. Goodson not in camp after starting last time.
Meanwhile Orozco-Fiscal has started 2 of 3 and made the bench last time…Are you telling me that he is out and out either #1 or #2?

I’m only trying to look at things from another perspective. Gooch, Boca, and Omar are all big players who hold their own very well. But none of them are known for their passing. Where as Ream and Orozco are better passers. Maybe JK is looking for one big and one passer. I never said I agree with Omar being left out, but we don’t know which perspective he is looking at.

Inconsistent? What are you smoking!? The kid is a rock in the back for LA and is a huge reason why LA has the best defense in the league; great Distributor of the ball as well. He is also a BEAST in the air, but I guess you wouldnt know because apparently you’ve never watched him.

“…and he had Donovan as a forward even though he is a midfielder. Then he loses Donovan to injury, and he calls up another out and out striker instead of a sort of hybrid player.”

I don’t really understand this; he lost Donovan, who he listed as a striker, so he called in another striker. This looks to me like a consistent move.

As far as his overall roster selection, it’s understandable that it’s disappointing to a lot of us, since we aren’t scoring a bunch of goals. The fact of the matter is, we are better than we were with other selections. I bet a lot of readers will disagree with me, but look at what we are complaining about: finishing.

Are we WORSE at finishing under Klinsy? No. Are we more attractive and possession-oriented in our style of play? Yes. Essentially, he has (so far, in 3 games) changed us up from a team that couldn’t boss possession OR finish, to a team that is learning how to boss possession, but still can’t finish.

Per the average USMNT fan’s expectations, I see a lackluster product. At the same time, however, I see improvement and progress. And I think this conclusion is what keeps me at rest with his roster choices. With his choices, we have so far been better than we were with previous players. Let’s just hope we continue the gradual upward trend.

Gonzalez won’t get called up by Mexico because they don’t call up mls players who haven’t played for Barcelona.
Geoff Cameron should get a call up at cb over Gonzales, ream, John and orozco. He played out of position for his team 90 percent of season and was still an allstar on defense.

First comment: I don’t think Omar dialed up ESPN and said “hey tell everyone I want to play for Mexico.” Virtually every dual national, when asked, says they will consider any country that calls. Even Najar (not even a citizen) feigned interest in the US for a while and then afterwards admitted that was never a possibility. So everyone on the “Omar’s a jerk for trying to force Klinnsman’s hand” bandwagon needs to chill. 99% of pro soccer players will not miss out on the chance for international soccer (or for being a starter vs. a role player) even if it means violating their primary national loyalty, and 99% of dual-nationals try to be diplomatic to both nations by claiming “whoever comes first” or “Yeah I’d think about it” when asked.

Second: Everyone keeps saying “Gonzo/John don’t match our system.” Well, we aren’t Barcelona. The primary job of a defender is to DEFEND. Yes, keeping possession is a great form of defense, but we aren’t good enough to out-possess top tier teams. Against top competition you need guys like Jay Demerit who is a sub-par distributor but can stonewall guys like Wayne Rooney. Obviously you’d rather they be top defenders and distributors, but when push comes to shove you need DEFENDERS not “good passers who happen to stand behind the midfield.” Unless Tim Ream develops the defensive ability Bocanegra or Demerit used to have (he’s already 24), he’ll need to at least be partnered in the center with a pure defender. I don’t know what’s coming up the U-23 pipeline, but I know Boca and Onyewu aren’t getting any younger, and nobody currently 20 is going to be ready for prime-time in 3 years. We might be in trouble if Gonzo and John are CB’s #3 and #4 in Brazil, but imo, we don’t have enough wealth of talent to not even attempt to cultivate defenders like that.

I swear if we win the next 10 games people will still be pissed about something.

I like what Klinsy is doing, and he’s innocent until proven guilty (i.e. some major tourneys, qualifying, etc). If those go crappy, then yeah, he’s messing things up.

I would just like to point out that the German public criticized the CRAP out of Klinsy leading up to the 2006 WC. They lost their last preparation game (I forget who they played against). The fans really did NOT buy into his system AT ALL leading up to Germany ’06.

Then they got 3rd place.

Probably won’t happen with us, but I think we’ve yet to see the best of Jurgen.

National teams do not develop players. Clubs do. We as a fan base need to stop mixing this up. Not to long ago Braderton a national youth set up was our primary method of developing young talent so I can see where the mix up stems from. However, with the emergence of MLS academies we are finally seeing, in my opinion, the best way to develop a wide range of talented youngsters.

Furthermore, I believe it is a national team coaches job to choose the most in form players that fit his system and to form a core (consistent group of 7-8 or more that are in the squad regularly).

If you disagree with his selections by all means make your voice heard, but don’t chalk it up to autonomy.

Tim Ream continually getting called up boggles my mind. He is not elite in the MLS let alone on the USMNT. For an example because John was brought up, I would take either George John UGo Hemelu from Dallas over Ream. I know Ugo is older so throw him out.

Anyone who has watched the MLS this year and for the past year could tell you but John>Ream in every part of the game. Passing, Defense, quickness, speed, winning balls in the air, offense, soccer knowledge.

For as much as Klingsmann says he was going to look for talent, from what I have scene he has stuck to his guys which he identified pretty quickly and not gone out to find new people. Maybe they dont exist and maybe John and Omar are not quality enough. But as long as Tim Ream continues to get called into camp then I know there are better defenders out there.

Just playing devils advocate, if not playing is a reason why Ream has worse or equal technical ability as John or Gonzalez, then what does not being called in say about the aformentioned two not being called in?

I think of Gonzalez as being similar to Chad Marshall a few years ago. They are big, tough guys who are dangerous in the air when they have great service. Much like Marshall was over-rated because he was a solid young CB for a great team, Gonzalez is now in the same boat. I’ve watched Gonzalez, Marshall and Ream a lot the last 2 years, and Ream has much greater potential than the others. I know he’s struggling and has defensive lapses, but I see him ultimately being more successful on the international level.

I think JK is just choosing favorites and this is what I was afraid of. Castillo and Orozco are his favorites and they both have played poorly. After getting rid of Castillo JK still doesn’t get it that Orozco doesn’t belong with this group. Boca, Onyewu, Goodson, John, Gonzalez, Whitbread, and even Ream should be way ahead of Orozco. I don’t understand what JK sees in this guy. I just name 7 CB who are highly rank, skilled, and just better than Orozco and for some reason Orozco is in JK 1-2 CBs Get the F out of here!!!

I like that Gooch is back in the selection but I really do think Gonzo deserves a call up over Ream now, the kid has showed what he can do for US and has given a couple of goals away. So now lets see what John and Gonzo can do.

With all due disrespect, chief, you are a total D**K H**D. (Anyone disagree?) Yet again three or four rabid Klinsmann haters angry that BB got axed and now on the board in full battle gear trying to weaken team morale and fan support for Klinsmann by trying to spread their hate. You guys ain’t true USMNT fans. Go USA!

My point was you were using Ream as an example to discredit Klinsmann’s philosophy and clearly Bradley favored him more heavily than Klinsmann does. Also of note is Bradley often called in Ream over Gonzalez and George John too. It is a hollow argument. You may be right to say people are dumb for blindly favoring Klinsmann because he is European but Ream as an example of that argument doesn’t hold any water.

Everybody wants to be on the USMNT. The fact of the matter is that there IS an ever-growing pool of players in Europe and MLS to choose from and a number of decent players are going to be left out, and some of them are going to be unhappy about it. Besides which, a couple of friendlies wouldn’t do a durn thing towards cap-tying either Gonzalez or John to the USA anyway, it’d just make them momentarily happy.

Klinsmann does not strike me as a dumb or oblivious man, or a guy in search of a quick fix. Quite the contrary, he seems to have a very clear idea of what he wants to do and his whole M.O. is a system-wide overhaul.

This guy knows what he wants, and he is building to a specific plan. I’m inclined to kick back and see what he comes up with because we’re NOT in any sort of qualifying cycle at the moment. I’m a lot more interested to see if he can start to implement his system and then go from there.

I just don’t see how Orozco-Fiscal and Ream are considered so much better than Gonzalez and John. New York’s back line has been there biggest weakness and Orozco has been subpar at best when playing for the MNT.

I don’t know if JK will be successful or not, but saying he’s only in this for the short term is just silly. He’s put a huge emphasis on youth development (and endorsed Reyna’s plans for making it better and more consistent across the country) and on broadening the player pool not just in Europe but in the US, especially among Latin players. Those aren’t the tenets of a Win-Now-and-Screw-the-Future coach.

Also of note is that Bradley PLAYED Gonzalez. Twice. And to pretend now that Tim Ream is some terrible player after having a rough sophomore season in MLS is revisionist history. He had a fantastic rookie season and was (and still is) considered a terrific prospect.

JK has very little to do with the World Cup performance as has been documented virtually everywhere. There is a reason he had been unemployed since his debacle at Bayern – he simply isn’t that good of a coach.

Just a thought, but maybe [insert your favorite player here] isn’t good enough to play on the national team yet? Worrying about cap-tying a player who maybe has potential, but hasn’t proven anything is ridiculous. Klinsy’s right, this country’s got A LOT of young talent, playing in more countries than ever before.

You young whippersnappers may not remember, but 10 years ago the term “Yanks Abroad” seemed like an ironic joke.

If Omar or G.John want to play for the U.S. and havent gotten called, they should put their heads down and work harder and just go about your business. If they’re gonna get their feelings hurt because they haven’t been contacted and are now trying to switch countires, let them go. If you’re gonna go to Mexico then do it, don’t play media games and say now you arent happy. Sounds like garbage and J.K. should run the show, not unhappy players. Just my opinion. Peace

There’s a kid from Furman who I think is the U-21 captain…Walker Zimmerman. True freshman, just 18 years old, but a man among boys for the Paladins, who I think are ranked #20 in the country or some such. I’ve seen him play a couple times (including a couple nights ago against Georgia Southern) and the kid is absolutely legit…6’3″, 185, blazing speed and plenty of technical ability. Doug Allison – who also produced guys like Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, Jonathan Leathers, and Shea Salinas of the MLS – is not knowing for starting true freshmen but he’s starting this one. I’d look for this guy as early as the next World Cup cycle and I’d be shocked if he made it past 19 without jumping to the MLS Superdraft.

how can he choose favorites and he’s only been manager for little over 2 months?!?! How can he even have favorties yet!?!? sheesh, everybody wanted J.K. (or someone other than BB) and ppl complain more than ever now. Just give it a chance ppl, quit finding fault with every roster call/ommission. Let the man run HIS team. so tired of the complainers and “experts” on here.

It makes little sense to bring in Omar Gomzales right now. The Galaxy are in the middle of a very tough campaign, with not only the Supporters Shield in sight, but a spot in the CCL elimination rounds. Removing Gonzales to play a USMNT game and exposing him to injury during a key part of the Galaxy season is troublesome. Besides caping Gomzales for Honduras, a friendly, would not tie him to the USMNT anyway. It’s a friendly and would not count.

That being said, if Gonzales would have been given a fraction of the opportunities that Orozco, Castillo, Ream and Bornstein have been given, he would be in the mix for at least the number 2 spot at CD. (and yes, I put him above Goodson)

Omar Gonzales is one of the main reasons why the Galaxy defense is the best in the MLS (Goalkeeping would be another)

The plain fact is that playing for the USMNT as opposed to the MLS is a set up in intensity and complexity and not all adjust well. But given the fact that Gonzales has been given only a fraction of the opportunities that others have enjoyed, I am concerned that he may not be given an adequate opportunity in the near future.

Klinsmann need games and time to implement a starting back line in time for the WCQ. Let’s hope the OG can get the opportunities he needs and deserves.

My opinion on John and Gonzalez is both lack speed and positioning to play at the national team level. Ream lacks both too, but for some reason seems to get a higher grade based on his + level passing. Then you have Orozco who really doesn’t seem to possess any traits you would want in a national team level defender. It really is quite confusing. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think any of the 4 mentioned should be in camp now, but of the 4, I would say the two chosen would be behind the two not. Just for me at least.

Yes, but cap tying is one thing while building up a player’s loyalty, keeping him in the loop, and making him feel part of the team is another. A young player, especially, is going to start looking elsewhere if he feels the door is closed here. Instead of having Ream sit on the bench, why not have Omar come in. Put your arm around him, let him feel the camaraderie with the boys, let him know what he needs to work on. You don’t have to cap tie to make the guys feel like they are part of the future.

Ted, do you go to Furman? (Or live in Greenville?) I actually graduated from there with Shea and Leathers. I’ve heard of Zimmerman and seen on the stats sheets that he’s been doing quite well. But my point still stands that while this kid may be our top defender in 2018, he’s not going to be a starter by 2014, so if the best we can do is George John and Omar Gonzalez this cycle, then by all means let’s hang on to them.

Rossi fell through the cracks because he didn’t play youth soccer in the US and at that time playing in the US youth system was the only way to be found by US Soccer, so we should be quiet about Rossi. Subotic, we have some reason to complain because he came through the ranks but he also had an opportunity to play with the senior team and turned it down.

gonzo is trying to force the issue. he should’ve waited until january to make those comments had he not been selected then. these friendlies are short windows and to have to re-teach a brand new set of 22 guys is just not feasible.

everyone complaining doesn’t make sense either. we should save our breath for the january roster announcement. the time spent there is equivalent to the time spent in the sept, oct and nov camps.

Everyone has their opinions on talent. The only problem I have with this is let’s say Omar Gonzalez is #3 on the depth chart. If you have not brought him into the camp and he switches to Mexico, then when your #1 or #2 at that spot gets hurt, you just lost your #3.

Orozco is the fastest CB we have. He’s good in the air for his size and he’s a decent passer. Honestly, he probably has the best traits. The problem is, he was absent from the program ever since the Olympics. He’s had to start all over. I think Orozco has done well, not amazing, but solid.

WE CAN’T CAP TIE ANYONE IN A FRIENDLY!!!! Jesus mother of god. People are acting like these friendlies will cap tie these players…did everyone already forget the whole Chandler thing?! He’s played for us, but still not cap tied. So until we have a meaningful game, it WON’T MATTER.

Larentowicz should NOT be here. he is not better than the other players we have in his position. Adu, Benny or Sasha should be there instead. Larentowicz call up is a joke. I like JK, but it’s a TERRIBLE call.

it’s just you. Orozco has been solid and the majority of reports agree. he is quick, something we don’t have at CB, can pass well, has good positioning and is good enough in the air. pair him next to a goodson or gooch, and it’s a good combo. he’s done well.

they probably aren’t! they are all probably rated just about the same, but ream and orozco are better are certain things that JK needs for the system he wants. it’s not like he is saying John and OG suck.

Ream may (and I’m not even sure about this) have better skill. But he’s not better. These guys aren’t fact sheets, they have a body of work at this point. Gonzalez’s body of work is more impressive. He’s two years younger and he’s improving every year.

Your only partially right..Ream had a fantastic year FOR A ROOKIE.
Hes making the same mistakes now as he did last year…the difference is people stopped giving him a pass because it was his first year. The problem with Ream is he ISNT improving his consistency or play.

I could not disagree more about Klinsmann’s impact. At least about his impact on the field rather than with the press. He talks about positive attacking, he talks a lot more than Bradley in general, but he has done precious little to change anything.

He played Torres in the middle more than Bradley did, but it certainly did not result in any more goals for the US. His central midfielders of choice seem to be Beckerman, Edu, Bradley and Torres. None of those are used at their clubs as attacking midfielders. By all accounts he will start 2 or 3 defensive midfielders and “encourage” them to attack.

I fail to see that he has done anything Bradley had not already done other than add Williams to the roster. He has fewer latin players on this roster than Bradley did for most of his rosters, so I am not sure where all the “latin style soccer” he talks about is going to come from.

Klinsmann is no idiot. Bradley called in over 100 different players in 2010. How many more do you think are out there? Klinsmann is simply looking at the list Bradley gave him (and added Williams and Hamid).

The biggest argument I have is with the press who seemed to think that because Klinsmann talked to them and used words like “attacking” “possession” and “attractive”, the players available to the US would magically be transformed Inesta, or Messi, etc.

Soccer is a player’s game, not a coach’s game. If you change the coach but not the players, not much will change, certainly not much in less than the time it requires for players to acquire new skills. (The impact of one player. Torres, does not make that big a change, he is not really good enough to carry the team, like a Maradonna might.)

Rossi did not “fall through the cracks’ USSoccer knew about him when he was young, but he (and perhaps more importantly his father) insisted from early on that he would play for Italy period end of story. If Italy had not come calling, perhaps Rossi would have changed their position, but it was their preference from the very beginning.

well you read it wrong apparently. he actually named 4 players being: FISCAL OROZCO….a 29 year old (GOODSON- who is actually now 30)….and TWO guys in their 30s (BOCA AND GOOCH). he wasnt saying fiscal was 29. read it before you weep.

Yeah, that makes sense. I don’t see Orozco as much more than a physical presence. Ream can be decent on the ball, a fair linking defender, and make some great emergency-defensive plays, but I keep seeing him getting burnt by quality attacking players and making that “critical” mistake, whether it’s a blown assignment or that horrible pass that has led to a goal/loss. John and Gonzalez are good physically and in the air, especially Omar. I think with a little more seasoning, OG has a place similar to a young Gooch.